Hey, Church Fans! Some folks have been asking me where the earlier posts for Lent are. Golly, I’m too cheap to buy a counter for this blog so I didn’t know how many people actually read it. Who knew?! Anyhoo, here is this week’s homily. As always, the video will follow when it hits my desk. Thanks, Theresa, for making that happen.
Back in ancient of days, there was a place the bottom of Arctic Boulevard by Valley of the Moon Park called “The Spa.” Until the mid-1970’s it was the only swimming pool in Anchorage. An entire generation of folks learned to swim there. Like all such places it had a kiddy pool, and a larger pool with a shallow end and a deep end with a real diving board. The program was well set. You started in the kiddy pool until you had enough lessons to learn the basics. Then you got to go to the shallow end. Finally, once you had passed your swimming test, you got to go to the deep end. They never gave you more than you could handle.
As contemplate the encounter with Jesus with the woman at the well, I am struck that he does a very similar thing with her. He starts off slow with the basics, putting her at ease by asking something simple of her. Then as she gets more comfortable he takes her a little deeper into the reality of who she is and also into the reality of who he is. Finally, he goes deep into the well of her soul and draws out her faith so profoundly that she runs back to town to spread the Good News. Jesus did not take an “in your face” approach. Rather he gently leads her to a deeper understanding of the mystery. He’s very kind that way.
I imagine that each of us who have contemplated the depths of the mystery of Christ and have come to a certain level of faith could tell a similar story. Think back on all the various encounters in your life that have led you to being here in this church or watching this liturgy on the livestream. It usually starts very gently, with a friendship, a gentle nudge in the right direction here, another little poke there. As we get familiar with Christ and his Church, our spiritual life expands. There are very few leaps of faith, but there are many little steps of faith down the path of life. Jesus is very kind to us that way.
By the same token we need to be kind to one another. Not everyone is in the same place. Some are just starting out and are still in the kiddy pool, so to speak. Others are in the relative security of the shallow end. Like Jesus with the woman at the well, we need to let him guide us gently to the greater depths of the spiritual life, even as we help others along their way.